Brothers Alex and Eddie Van Halen were born in The Netherlands. After the family moved to Pasadena, California Eddie began studying classical piano and Alex took up the guitar. By their early teens, it was Eddie who was playing guitar and Alex had switched to drums.

In 1974, the Van Halen brothers, bassist Michael Anthony and vocalist David Lee Roth began playing local gigs as Mammoth. When they discovered that another Pasadena band was already using that name, Roth suggested the group take the name Van Halen. The brothers didn’t like it at first, but when no one came up with a better name, they went along with it. Launching the Rocket: In 1976, Van Halen was getting regular work playing clubs on Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip. It was here that they came to the attention of KISS frontman Gene Simmons, who was so impressed with the band that he paid for their first demo tape. In 1978, their self-titled debut album was released, becoming one of the most successful debut albums ever and bringing hard rock into the musical mainstream. Over the next 20 years, the Van Halens and Anthony remained the core of the increasingly influential and successful band. Roth left the group in 1985, primarily because of disagreements with Eddie Van Halen. Sammy Hagar, then the lead singer for Montrose, replaced Roth. The “Van Hagar” era lasted until 1996. Gary Cherone signed on for two years, and one album, as lead singer. Hagar rejoined the band for a reunion tour in 2004.